With the Chris Paul drama finally behind us, this NBA season is already slated to be a wild one. I honestly see the season being sloppy with the condensed schedule and fatigued players. With this being said, let’s see if our NBA predictions can live up to our NFL predictions.

The Indiana Pacers will surprise in the East. Unlike last season, I fully expect the Pacers to earn a playoff spot this time. They quietly made some great off-season acquisitions, acquiring my boy, George Hill and signing David West. West will be joining Tyler Hansbrough, Roy Hibbert and Danny Granger in the front court. Yikes. Now if Darren Collison can get back to his New Orleans days then expect big things from this team.

Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan will be a star. I saw the ex-Trojan make some huge strides last season and I can see this kid rising to stardom. He has a great mid-range game and can attack the basket with his athleticism. He’s really good at drawing fouls, racking up easy points. If he can improve on his 3-pt shooting and defense, DeMar will get some looks for the All-Star team.

OKC’s James Harden will be the NBA’s Most Improved Player. I’ll admit I’ve always been a fan of his gnarly beard, but that’s not why I picked him here. After Jeff Green was traded away, Harden’s role increased and he showed flashes of why he was the number three overall pick. He really picked it up in the playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks. Now, I believe Harden is poised for a breakout season. He has all the tools to be a great player in this league and has shown improvement since his rookie season. With Durrant and Westbrook on his side, it should open up many opportunities.

Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving will win Rookie of Year. I’ve always been a big fan of this kid’s game since his Duke days. He is a great facilitator with the ball and reminds me of CPIII at times. Kyrie can also score the ball too, but what impresses me the most is his ability to read the passing lanes. This youngster has all the tools for success at the point guard position.

The Los Angeles Clippers will finish with a better season record than the Lakers. Some of y’all may think I’m crazy, but I’m just having a hard time seeing the Lakers dominate with their lack of depth. The loss of Lamar Odom definitely takes them a step back. Ron Artest (or should I say World Metta Peace or whatever) isn’t the same player he used to be. He can’t shoot and his defense has regressed. The point guard play will also hurt this Laker team. Derek Fisher’s old and the Steve Blake experiment failed last season; as I watched him brick four open threes in a row against the Mavs. Kobe will continue to be Kobe, but Pau Gasol showed his weakness and the LA faithful is continuing to rely on Andrew Bynum’s “potential”. Potential has been the same story for Bynum since he’s been in the league. The dude is never healthy when you need him to be. I’m sorry but this Clipper line-up of Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Caron Butler, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan looks way more appealing to me.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will finish with the best overall record at the end of the season. With this rushed/condensed NBA season youth and athleticism will have its advantages. Also, have any of you guys seen Kendrick Perkins lately?

The New York Knicks will not win a playoff series. I can care less about their star-studded line-up. As long as Mike D’Antoni is their head coach this team will go nowhere. D’Antoni’s teams are never defensive-minded and lack mental toughness. Tyson Chandler will help, but he can only account for so many mistakes. If Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony could at least put some effort into their defensive game, they could be scary.

The Portland Trailblazers will a playoff series for the first time since 2000. Like Indiana, the Trailblazers made some great offseason moves. My favorite was the signing of point guard Raymond Felton. Felton will be a huge upgrade over the aged Andre Miller. After being bounced around the last couple seasons, I think Felton will find a home in Portland. Not only that, the signing of Jamal Crawford was huge. Crawford’s shown his abilities winning 6th Man of the Year and winning playoff games for the Hawks. If Greg Oden could ever stay healthy then the Blazers could be really dangerous.

The Toronto Raptors will finish the season with the league’s worst record. I really don’t see any playmakers on this team outside of DeMar DeRozan. Please don’t say Andrea Bargnani. The guy is 7-ft and averages 5 rebounds a game. It also doesn’t help when your defense is worse than Matt Bonner’s.

New teams that make the playoffs: Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks (also New Jersey Nets if they acquire Dwight Howard).

This season will have the largest amount of players on and off the injury report. Have you seen this ridiculous schedule?

The Dallas Mavericks will not repeat as NBA champs. The loss of J.J. Barea and Tyson Chander are going to kill the Mavericks’ shot of repeating. With all the 1-year contracts they are offering to these washed-up players (Vince Carter), it is obvious that they are poised to make a huge splash in the next off-season. Deron Williams and Dwight Howard perhaps?

LeBron will win MVP and finally get his ring. Everyone wanted LeBron James to fail last year and I believe he will have a chip on his shoulder entering the season. I really wouldn’t want to be that guy who gets in his way.

D-Will will reportedly play for Turkish team Besiktas this fall...sick...

Wow, did not see this one coming. In a potential trend-setting move, Deron Williams has agreed in principle to play overseas for Besiktas, the same Turkish team that Allen Iverson played for last year. Though I’m sure the financial terms are nothing to write home about (no pun intended), it’s amazing to see arguably the best point guard in the NBA heading to Europe (wait, Asia? Eurasia? Yeah, we’ll go with that) to hoop until the lockout is over.

To be completely honest, I think this is a really cool thing to do. Besiktas has agreed to let D-Will ride out the lockout by playing with their squad, and once it’s over, he can go back to the NBA freely, no strings attached. I hope that other big-name NBA players (Kobe, perhaps?) follow precedent and do the same thing. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see a raucous Spanish League crowd chanting Kobe’s name or Lebron’s name after one of em’ slams home a mean dunk? I think it would be one of the coolest spectacles to see and would allow Europeans a first-hand look at what the best basketballers in the world have to offer. I’m all for the move, Deron.

D-Will will reportedly play for Turkish team Besiktas this fall...sick...

Wow, did not see this one coming. In a potential trend-setting move, Deron Williams has agreed in principle to play overseas for Besiktas, the same Turkish team that Allen Iverson played for last year. Though I’m sure the financial terms are nothing to write home about (no pun intended), it’s amazing to see arguably the best point guard in the NBA heading to Europe (wait, Asia? Eurasia? Yeah, we’ll go with that) to hoop until the lockout is over.

To be completely honest, I think this is a really cool thing to do. Besiktas has agreed to let D-Will ride out the lockout by playing with their squad, and once it’s over, he can go back to the NBA freely, no strings attached. I hope that other big-name NBA players (Kobe, perhaps?) follow precedent and do the same thing. I mean, who wouldn’t want to see a raucous Spanish League crowd chanting Kobe’s name or Lebron’s name after one of em’ slams home a mean dunk? I think it would be one of the coolest spectacles to see and would allow Europeans a first-hand look at what the best basketballers in the world have to offer. I’m all for the move, Deron.

Will we have the privilege of seeing the "Jet" in this years' NBA Finals?

1. Heat win, yet LeBron is still criticized. Will everyone just shut up already?

I’m sick and tired of hearing about what LeBron didn’t do in the 4th quarter. Why don’t they talk about what he did do? Everyone continues to focus on the number of points he scores instead of looking at all the aspects of basketball. LeBron affects the game in MORE ways than anyone in the league. Offensively, Dallas has to send some kind of help when LeBron has the ball. Either if it’s a shade or a double-team, you have to scheme for him. If not, he has the abilities to blow right by your defender to the basket. Defensively, LeBron can guard anybody on the court, at anytime. He can win rebounds, block shots, and disrupt the passing-lanes. Whenever he isn’t scoring, he’s doing all the intangibles. People seem to forget that it was LeBron who had dished the rock to Bosh for the game-winner. If he was so worried about droppin’ buckets, he would have stayed in Cleveland.

Everything seems to be a lose,lose for LeBron.

2. Why the hell isn’t Dirk being criticized?

In the final three possessions, Dirk had a chance to tie/win the game, but blew them all. On Dallas’ second-to-last possession, Dirk threw the ball away to the fan sittin’ front-row because of the Miami’s double-team. Then on Miami’s following possession, Dirk got lost behind a Haslem screen allowing Bosh to hit the game winner. Finally on Dallas’ last possession, Dirk had a chance to tie the game with a jumper at the free throw line, but he clanked it off the back-iron. He simply faltered with the game on the line. I don’t care if you scored 30+ in the first three quarters; you have to make the one that counts. You can also defend a little bit better too. At this stage you have to find away to get through screens to the open shooter.

3. Will the “Jet” finally step up in Game 4?

ESPN reported that Dirk called out Terry, saying he hasn’t been “clutch”. He is 100% correct there. Terry has been pretty much ineffective throughout most of this series. Yeah, he got lucky and hit a few buckets, but his shooting percentage has been significantly lower than usual, and he’s been turnover prone. LeBron James has clamped the locks down on Terry in Miami’s two wins.

With LeBron being much stronger and faster than Terry, Rick Carlisle needs to do a better job of moving the “Jet” around before he gets the ball. Set multiple screens for him in order to let LeBron work. I’m sure running off a screen will give Terry a little more breathing room. If executed properly, it should give him the option of driving or spotting-up.

If Terry doesn’t step it up in Game 4, then it’s basically over. He needs to give Dirk some sort of support in the closing minutes. The Mavs have been relying on Dirk too much and it will finally take its toll. Just ask Derrick Rose.

Will we have the privilege of seeing the "Jet" in this years' NBA Finals?

1. Heat win, yet LeBron is still criticized. Will everyone just shut up already?

I’m sick and tired of hearing about what LeBron didn’t do in the 4th quarter. Why don’t they talk about what he did do? Everyone continues to focus on the number of points he scores instead of looking at all the aspects of basketball. LeBron affects the game in MORE ways than anyone in the league. Offensively, Dallas has to send some kind of help when LeBron has the ball. Either if it’s a shade or a double-team, you have to scheme for him. If not, he has the abilities to blow right by your defender to the basket. Defensively, LeBron can guard anybody on the court, at anytime. He can win rebounds, block shots, and disrupt the passing-lanes. Whenever he isn’t scoring, he’s doing all the intangibles. People seem to forget that it was LeBron who had dished the rock to Bosh for the game-winner. If he was so worried about droppin’ buckets, he would have stayed in Cleveland.

Everything seems to be a lose,lose for LeBron.

2. Why the hell isn’t Dirk being criticized?

In the final three possessions, Dirk had a chance to tie/win the game, but blew them all. On Dallas’ second-to-last possession, Dirk threw the ball away to the fan sittin’ front-row because of the Miami’s double-team. Then on Miami’s following possession, Dirk got lost behind a Haslem screen allowing Bosh to hit the game winner. Finally on Dallas’ last possession, Dirk had a chance to tie the game with a jumper at the free throw line, but he clanked it off the back-iron. He simply faltered with the game on the line. I don’t care if you scored 30+ in the first three quarters; you have to make the one that counts. You can also defend a little bit better too. At this stage you have to find away to get through screens to the open shooter.

3. Will the “Jet” finally step up in Game 4?

ESPN reported that Dirk called out Terry, saying he hasn’t been “clutch”. He is 100% correct there. Terry has been pretty much ineffective throughout most of this series. Yeah, he got lucky and hit a few buckets, but his shooting percentage has been significantly lower than usual, and he’s been turnover prone. LeBron James has clamped the locks down on Terry in Miami’s two wins.

With LeBron being much stronger and faster than Terry, Rick Carlisle needs to do a better job of moving the “Jet” around before he gets the ball. Set multiple screens for him in order to let LeBron work. I’m sure running off a screen will give Terry a little more breathing room. If executed properly, it should give him the option of driving or spotting-up.

If Terry doesn’t step it up in Game 4, then it’s basically over. He needs to give Dirk some sort of support in the closing minutes. The Mavs have been relying on Dirk too much and it will finally take its toll. Just ask Derrick Rose.

Dallas guard Jason Terry attempts to dunk on LeBron James and is rejected by the rim. Luckily, he was bailed out by a questionable foul call.

Defense and Match-Ups. That was the biggest difference in game 1. Unfortunately, neither went in Dallas’ favor. In the final 5 minutes of game 1, Miami’s big three ate up Dallas’ squad. The match-ups on both ends of the floor were easily dominated by the Heat. Jason Terry looked like a lost, step-child out there on the floor. Terry was absolutely abused last night on both ends of the floor. He was unable to stop (let alone contain) D. Wade in the game’s most critical moments. Wade knows Terry can’t guard him. Hell, we all knew that coming into this series. Wade can post Terry up, beat him off the dribble, or just shoot over him. On the offensive side of the ball, Terry was irrelevant as soon as LeBron took over guarding him. LeBron’s size and quickness will be no match for Terry, as he looked really uncomfortable out on the floor. Terry is going to be critical in this series, as he needs to step up and be a reliable option besides Dirk. Dirk was hounded all night by Miami’s team defense and will be relying on his teammates to pick up the slack. I thought the Heat did a great job being aggressive with Dirk when he didn’t have the ball in his hands. They made is really difficult for Dirk to get to this favorite sweet spots on the court, and when he did, there were a number of bodies in his face. Haslem did an outstanding job making life difficult for Dirk. Haslem and the Heat displayed solid pick n’ roll defense throughout the game. In the previous series, Dirk would be able to find his open shooters once the openings developed off the pick n’ roll, but things weren’t as easy in Miami. Miami’s quickness and length made it difficult for Dallas to execute its offense. Miami has the speed to not only help out on defense, but can close the gap on the Mavs’ perimeter shooters. Currently, most of the match-ups are riding in Miami’s favor. Unless Dallas’ core players surround Dirk step up, it’s going to be another season of underachievement for the Mavs.

What I want to know is, why in the hell did Rick Carlisle go away from the 2-3 zone in the second-half? It was working in the first-half and that was one of the biggest reasons why Dallas had the lead. Miami showed its vulnerability against the zone, so why go away from it? Well Rick, you better get to work. Roughly 90% of teams up 2-0 in the NBA Finals go on to win the title (the 06’ Dallas Mavs are one of the few to choke it away).

As expected, the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls will have the opportunity to reach NBA prominence as they look to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals. This match-up has all the ingredients to be a great one, especially when you have the three top superstars being center-staged (sorry Bosh, not you) and the top two defensive teams left in the playoffs.

Keys to Victory for Chicago:

-The defensive minded Bulls are led by their outstanding “MVP” Derrick Rose. Rose has virtually carried Chicago on his back all season. He’s been absolutely unstoppable and can instantly take-over a game. I expect Rose to put up his usual monster numbers, but his supporting cast might show up. Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer must play well for Chicago. In many of Chicago’s playoffs games I’ve seen, there are many times in which the team relies on Rose too much. Rose has to create all of the offense in the fourth, and many of his teammates are afraid to take a big shot. Deng and Boozer must be able to hit big buckets in the fourth and not just sit back and watch Rose. I’m sure the Miami coaching staff will have something installed to containing Rose. Chicago’s other two offensive contributors must not hesitate to attack the basket.

-Defensively, it is going to take a huge team effort if Chicago wants to slow down the Heat. The Bulls need to make sure Dwayne Wade has a mediocre series as he did against them in the regular season. Whenever Wade gets hot, the Heat are nearly impossible to beat. Against the Celtics, Wade was dropping 30 left and right. The Bulls must make it tough for Wade, as he tends to struggle a bit when he is frustrated. Unless Keith Bogans and Ronnie Brewer can force Wade into a jump shooter it can be a long series for Chicago.

-Chicago’s bench must come in and give high quality minutes. The Bulls have way more depth than the Heat, and must expose their secondary unit. Kyle Korver must come in shooting red hot as he can stretch Miami’s defense.

X-Factor: Luol Deng

Deng must give Rose a reliable second option on offense. There are times when he just sits back and watches. With LeBron guarding him, he cannot do that in this series. He needs to take action and get the ball in his hands. Deng’s a good shooter and can attack the basket. He must make LeBron work on the defensive end. Deng also has the tough challenge of attempting to contain LeBron. As I don’t think anyone can stop LeBron, he must try his best to stay in front of him and make him take long jumpers.

Keys to Victory for Miami:

-Attack the basket. With Wade and LeBron, Miami must attack the paint and get Chicago’s front-court into foul trouble. I think both Wade and LeBron play their best basketball whenever they are penetrating the defense. It allows them to not only make plays for themselves, but others. Chicago wants to force these two into jump-shooters and they mustn’t play into their hands. During the regular season, Miami led the NBA in free-throw attempts. That shouldn’t change here.

-Defensively, I don’t think any of the point-guards will be able to contain Rose one on one. Like I said about Chicago, it’s going to take a team effort for Miami as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up seeing Wade guarding Rose late in games, as Wade showed signs of grade A defense on Ray Allen in the previous series. Miami also needs to run Chicago’s shooters off the 3-point line. With Rose’s penetrating ability, it sets up great looks from beyond the arc. Miami needs to make sure they know where all the shooters are, especially Korver.

-Team mentality. There were many times in which I saw the Heat get lazy on both ends of the floor, and that cannot happen against a team with Chicago’s caliber. Miami cannot afford to hand the Bulls unforced turnovers. This includes bad offense in which LeBron or Wade just plays one on one, with no team involvement. Even though Miami is led by their big three, it will take an entire team effort to get by Chicago.

X-Factor: Mario Chalmers

We all know Derrick Rose is going to dominate the point-guard play of this series, but Chalmers must give Miami a scoring punch off the bench. With Mike Bibby being a liability on defense, Chalmers might be seeing more minutes. Defensively, Chalmers is better than Bibby, but going up against the “MVP” is no easy task. On the offensive end, Chalmers must be able to knock down open 3’s as he did against Boston.